Reach Me By Page
by Ellawritesficssometimes
Summary: SPAMANO- Lovino forgets his book in class one day. He doesn't think anything of it when he initially retrieves it, until he notices his bookmark's been replaced! What the hell sort of note is this supposed to be? And what kind of idiot leaves a note in a random library book anyway? Obviously not one who would remember to sign their name. (Fic exchange with CodeVassie :) )


**A/N:** Hello everyone! This Spamano One-Shot is a fic exchange that I'm doing with my fellow amazing author **CodeVassie.** We each gave each other prompts to write! Make sure to check out their Spamano One-Shot after reading this, as well as their other stories :D

They're a fantastic author! This fic's title is also a play on the title of one of their stories, called "Hear Me" :p

The one-shot they wrote for this exchange is called " **A Cheesy and Hopeless Tale"**

And yes, I took time out of my day to photoshop a shitty cover photo xD

Happy reading, and for those who are finished school now, congratulations and all the best :)

* * *

 **Reach Me by Page:**

Has anyone ever told you just how wonderful books are? For one thing, they allow you to escape from your hellhole of a life. But, more than that, they're just so entertaining I find. What was before a dreary day becomes a world full of fantastical wonders, interesting people, and wise, thought-provoking dialogue.

Books allow you to think without having to actually think, if you get what I mean. Your dull day-to-day adventures take a backseat; page my page you reach your emotional limit of how much heartbreak, gore, and betrayal you can withstand. Books challenge your wits by having you guessing at what happens next, only to have something completely unexpected happen and shock you into a reverie of other possibilities.

Life? Life is predictable and boring.

But as for books? Books are never boring; they keep you on your toes, or rather, finger tips as you flip through them.

I've always been an average person. When I read a book, however, I'm no longer that average person. I see the story through the eyes of the protagonist. I am a willing and active participant in their journey through my imagination alone.

That's why I read. I read to forget how mediocre real life is. I am a nobody-turned somebody with just one flip of the page. I aspire and idolize about what I could become should I adopt some of the traits of my favourite characters. I imagine how cool I'd be if I lived in that fantastical universe.

Unfortunately, most people do not share this profound sentiment of mine for books. In fact, my going to the school library everyday at lunch was interpreted as stand-offish. Some were even bold enough to say that I lived in my own world. And perhaps I did. Even so, what I did was none of their fucking business.

This high school was awful to begin with. It was a harsh reality filled with crude, loud, and dumb people who only cared about themselves and their petty social relations. My little brother, Feliciano, was one of those people. He had befriended everyone in the school, smiling for even those whom were secretly jealous of his natural popularity and despised him.

On the other hand, I was known as Feliciano's snappy older brother with a sour attitude. People avoided me, which was unnecessary because I already kept to myself. I didn't have much friends, and it's not like I needed any either. I couldn't stand how fake people were.

I also couldn't keep up with false pretenses in real life. Books were my guilty pleasure in that sense; I could live a lie without actually having to lie to anyone but myself.

It was better this way anyway.

The bell for lunch rang, and I was quick to gather my books and leave the Math room. The class was held in the Seniors' wing, which only meant trouble for a single junior like me. Bella and Eliza meant well – despite being annoying as hell sometimes – but I really _wasn't_ interested in developing a love life.

The fact that I was an open bisexual only widened their matchmaking possibilities. I had a chronic problem of always being polite towards girls, and Bella and Eliza had unfortunately interpreted this as their invitation to become my 'love mentors'.

And what a horrifying prospect that was. Besides, it was pointless to even attempt matching me with someone. Sooner or later, my sarcasm or perpetual irritability would scare off any potential suitors. Thus, to prevent this potential rejection from happening, I did what I did best: run away from my problems, find myself an isolated spot, and bury my nose into the spine of a book.

That's why everyday after Math, it was a race to see whether the prey would escape the hunters. Today, I just so happened to be lucky.

I poked my head out into the hallway, and upon seeing that the coast was clear, I left for my own locker. Bella and Eliza weren't in sight, and I didn't exactly care to wait around for them. Any minute now and they would come bolting around the corner, looking for a good place to corner me.

Just in case, I ducked my head, maneuvering through the loud crowds in the hallway until I reached my locker in the Junior's wing. Feliciano was a sophomore, but his stoic, emotional bastard of a boyfriend was a Junior like myself. Hence the reason why Feliciano and the potato had their lockers next to me. Ugh.

That's another thing about myself, if you haven't already noticed. On paper, I'm eloquent and well-spoken, but speak to me in real life and all I can manage to usher out is a grunt, a profane curse word, and maybe an eye roll or two if I bother to waste such precious energy. It was like comparing a politician to a near-speechless caveman. Speaking wasn't my forte, I'll just leave it at that.

Feliciano exploded like a chatting bomb the moment I began fidgeting with my lock combination, my books tucked under my elbows. I could already feel my ears ringing as he continued to enlighten me with every detail of his last class.

"Lovi! How was Math! I'm guessing great, since you're so so so smart! Aren't you going to ask me how Art class went? It went great just in case you were wondering! I painted a water-colour of Luddy, and you know what he said? He said that it looked just like him! He even wants to frame it! Isn't that right, Luddy?"

"That's great," I mumbled, going unheard us per usual.

Ludwig's looked at the ground, embarrassed and trying to shrink in on himself despite being the size of a fucking skyscraper. "Feli, please, don't say things like that so loud," he groaned. "People are going to hear you."

"So?" Feliciano beamed. "People deserve to know just how much I love you. Did you hear that everyone? I LOVE LUDWIG AND HIS PRETTY BLUE EYES!"

While I put my school books into my locker, I'm pretty sure I heard a now red-faced Ludwig repeatedly bang his head against the wall. Ha! Serves that potato bastard right. His pain was my gain.

"Anyways~!" Feliciano trilled, grinning from ear to ear. He pulled out his lunch thermos, which surprise-surprise, contained enough pasta to feed an entire village. "Would you like to have lunch with us, Lovi? It's finally beginning to get warm out! Besides, you look like you could use some sun. The winter's made you unnaturally pale, fratello."

I waved off Feliciano with a lazy hand motion. "Can't," I answered, stuffing a forkful of my own pasta lunch into my mouth. The library had a no-food rule, so I always had to rush-eat my lunch if I wanted to spend time there during the break. "I want to finish this book I'm reading and find a new one to take home tonight."

"But Lovi," Feliciano whined. "You can't just spend your entire high school life in the library."

"Watch me," I smirked. My smile faltered as I put my emptied thermos back into my bag. I peaked over the top shelf of my locker, only to find that the book I was reading wasn't there.

"Crap!" I facepalmed.

Feliciano cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"

"I must have forgotten my book back in the classroom," I said waving over my shoulder at Feliciano. I had half the mind to stick up my middle finger at Ludwig, but it appeared that his older brother Gilbert was already giving him a hard time because of Feliciano's earlier comment.

"I'll see you after school!" I called out.

"Don't forget that it's Friday." Feliciano shouted back.

"Yeah, yeah! You cook the pasta, and I'll rent the movies. Have we ever celebrated the end of the week differently?"

"Nope~!"

Feliciano and I said our goodbyes one last time before I set off towards the Math classroom.

Thankfully, Bella and Eliza were busy matchmaking elsewhere.

Currently, they were dragging a blond, green-eyed Brit into the girl's bathroom against his will. I did a quick motion of the cross when I saw that Bella was holding several bottles of hair gel and hair spray, while Eliza had a pair of scissors and tweezers in stow. I honestly didn't want to know. I had witnessed _nothing_ , as far as I was concerned.

As expected, the book I was reading was resting in the metal basket underneath my desk.

With forty minutes left before lunch ended, I then headed towards the library with the intent of finishing my book and finding a new one to read.

Entering the library, I was welcomed with a cool gust from the air-conditioned vents. Another perk of the library was that other than the office, it was the only place in the school that was heat and body-odour free.

The nameless senior who regularly volunteered at the front desk looked up from his lunch (how unfair) to meet my gaze, his green eyes kind in welcome. I nodded my head in acknowledgement before heading for my usual cubicle at the back of the library.

As stated before, I wasn't a very chatty person. I saw that senior on a regular basis outside of the library as well. He was friends with Gilbert and Francis, and had his locker next to Bella and Eliza, but I've never actually talked to him before. Although, judging by his choice of friends, perhaps it was better that we only knew each other by face. Even if he was…admittedly attractive…

…There was just something about him that unnerved me. He was too perfect with his sun-kissed tan skin, pearly white smile, and lean physique. He was one of those angel-types that you couldn't help but be a little envious of. I wanted to hate him but I couldn't, you know? So, all I was left with feeling was mild irritation for not being as likeable as him.

Regardless, I'm getting off point, and I wanted to finish this book. All was swell until I realized that the spot where I had dog-eared my place had been smoothed out. Instead, a bookmark was placed at the back of the book.

Furrowing my brows, I turned over the red bookmark, finding that a note was taped underneath it. The handwriting was messy, and there were several smears of ink and food stains. I could barely read it without getting a headache. It was my curiosity which drove me to look into it further:

 _Hello!_

 _I've noticed you have a love for books too, so I thought I would share some of my favourites with you!_

 _Let's play a game. Every time you finish a book, leave it by the desk in front of the printer. You know, the one beside the Librarian's station?_

 _Each day, I'll leave a new bookmark with another title of a new book for you to read. All the books I'll recommend to you can be finished within a day!_

 _How does that sound? (We'll start Monday, if you're up for it!)_

 _Fun, right?_

 _Well, to start, you should totally check out "The Prince's Whisper"_

 _Happy reading :D_

Confused and agitated, I snapped the book shut. What the hell sort of note was that supposed to be?! A joke? And why the hell was there a doodle of a tomato on the bottom? Also, what kind of idiot leaves a note in a library book anyway? Obviously one dumb enough not to remember to sign their name.

"What the hell?!" I spluttered out loud.

"Shhh!"

"Oh, fuck you and your Mom," I replied to the unknown 'shusher'. I didn't hear from them again.

Disgruntled, I finished the book I was reading with twenty minutes left to spare. I then pondered over the mysterious note, concluding that the book scavenger hunt couldn't hurt me if it was indeed real. I was always looking for new books to read.

The only problem now was that I would have to ask for help. Normally, I just searched through the bookshelves until I came across a book that looked interesting enough. Unfortunately, this book scavenger hunt left me with no other option but to seek that senior's help at the front desk. I mean, I could always just search for the book myself, but it would take a whole lot longer, and I was already running out of time.

And so, that's why I found myself standing before said oblivious senior. Said senior was slumped over the front desk, his head of messy brown hair buried into his arms, fast asleep.

What an idiot.

I should have just looked for the book myself.

I cleared my throat. "Um, excuse me?"

The senior jolted awake, gasping. His eyes then fell on me and his face reddened with embarrassment, although, with his tanned skin it came off as pink. "Oh, um sorry!" he apologized, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn't expecting anyone! People mostly just study in here."

"So," I waved around a card that had the title of the book the mysterious note writer had recommended to me. "You won't help me then?"

The senior waved his hand so abruptly that he had knocked over his water bottle. "No! I mean…of course, of course. Just one moment!"

I watched with incredulous eyes as the senior opened the wooden gate of the front desk, nearly tripping over his feet. "Dio," he muttered to himself. "I should listen to Francis more often! I can't believe this actually worked!"

 **SMACK!**

The senior did in fact trip this time, catching himself on a nearby desk.

I repeat: what an idiot.

I raised an eyebrow in question. "Are you all right?"

The senior laughed nervously, blushing again. "Si, si! I'm fine! Great actually! Now, let's help you find this book," he said, taking the card from me. "Oh, you're in luck! I know where exactly where this one is. We don't even have to use the computer. Follow me."

"Huzzah," I muttered sarcastically, following the senior as he excitedly turned into the fiction section of the library.

I watched as he clumsily bumped into several people, chairs, and cubicles. It was like he wasn't paying attention at all to where he was going. Yup, he was most definitely an idiot. He reminded me of an excited puppy: he lacked coordination, and his wagging tail thumped against and knocked over just about anything within reach.

"You must not be asked for help a lot, huh?" I inquired.

"You're right! That's why I'm so excited to finally help someone find a book! All I do is sit at a desk all break and do nothing. I finally get to move now! The name's Antonio, by the way. I see you here all the time. It's funny because we've never spoken before, even after a whole year!"

"Yeah…" I trailed off, a bit put-off by how chatty this guy, correction, Antonio was. "Well, the name's Lovino. I'm a junior, which is probably why we haven't talked until now."

Antonio stopped abruptly, humming and muttering under his breath as he ran his finger along the spines of several books. "Well that's no fun," he replied, pressing his lips into a pout. "We're only a year apart. Juniors and seniors can talk, you know. I don't meet many people who appreciate books as much as I do. It's nice to meet you, Lovino."

"Pleasure. And how do you know that I like books?" I asked dryly, tapping my foot against the ground, a stern expression on my face.

I didn't see the brief flash of worry that crossed over Antonio's face.

"I told you!" Antonio happily exclaimed, crouching down a shelf when he didn't find the book he was looking for. "I see you here all the time! You do nothing but read! It's pretty admirable, actually. I usually have to stop after a while because I get headaches. But you, you read as if your life depends on it!"

"I like reading," I mumbled lamely.

"I know! I can tell," Antonio stated the obvious.

"Aha!" Antonio exclaimed, pulling out a book from the bottom-most shelf. "There she is," he said proudly, standing straight and holding out the book for me to take.

I felt a bit uncomfortable, reluctantly acknowledging that he was several inches taller than me and much more muscular. Fuck, he really was perfect. "Ah, um, thanks," I responded oh so brilliantly, wanting nothing more than to place a pillow to my face and scream my head off for how awkward I was acting.

Antonio handed the book to me with a sunny smile. "Enjoy, and don't be afraid to ask for help next time!"

"Next time," I repeated blankly, still too flustered to look him in the eye. He was too much to handle: too happy, too nice…too there…too real…

Antonio mistook this as me asking him a question.

"I-I m-mean, you'll be looking for more books, si?" Antonio stammered.

"Hmmm?" I murmured, flipping open and looking over the book; seemed interesting enough. "Yeah, sure. Thanks again."

I turned to leave.

"Hey, Lovino?"

"Yeah?"

"See you around? It'd be nice to chat with you some more."

I felt a weird fluttering in my chest. Antonio looked at me with so much hope that I couldn't dare to disappoint him. Not with those puppy dog eyes he was giving me. You would have to be a monster to say no to him. I wonder how many people he's manipulated into getting his way just by using them?

Either way, to my shock, Antonio genuinely looked like he had enjoyed our brief time spent together.

That was quite unexpected. Perhaps even unthinkable. I would have never dreamed of predicting something like this to happen to me. Especially in a library of all places.

This boy was trouble, trouble for making me like another person other than myself and Feliciano.

"All right," I agreed, surprising myself when I felt my cheeks stretch into a faint smile. Antonio's own smile was wider and brighter than the entire room. "I'd like that too."

Talk about unpredictable.

…

The past week and a half was spent in a never-ending chase. Each morning, I'd enter the library, finding a new title to read in the book I had left on the desk by the library's printer, as instructed. And at the end of each day, I'd leave my finished book in the same place.

I still had no idea who was leaving me these recommendations, and I was beginning to become impatient. I hadn't been disappointed with any of the books recommended to me. They were all so good. It's like the person knew exactly what I liked: fantasy, with a bit of romance, but mostly just coming of age stories.

Antonio stood by the library's front desk, impatiently awaiting my daily arrival. He really did remind me of a dog.

"Hola, Lovi! What book will it be today?"

Oh yeah. Now that I was regularly asking for Antonio's help, we had struck up an odd kind of friendship. He must have warmed up to people really fast because now he never stopped talking. I already had Feliciano to deal with, damn it. I could do without another chatty person in my life.

Unfortunately, Antonio had a tendency to push himself into other people's business. He was also really thoughtful, seeing as how he packed an extra tomato in his lunch just for me. I'm telling you, the idiot knew everything about me. Each day, I was met with several questions on his part. Obviously, he was trying to get to know me, so I didn't mind telling him things here and there.

Honestly, he was my first friend, and despite how silly and airheaded he was to be around, it was just nice to have someone to talk to.

"I thought I told you not to call me Lovi, bastard," I grumbled, handing Antonio the slip with the new book title written on it.

"But I think Lovi's cute!" Antonio pouted, causing me to sigh and roll my eyes. "Plus, good friends use nicknames for each other.

"Fine, whatever. Let's just find this book already."

Although I didn't respond to it, I was secretly glad that Antonio thought of me as a friend. It flattered me a lot more than I thought it would. He was used to my clipped rudeness, so he didn't take offence to my silence; another aspect about him that I liked. I could be myself around Antonio without having to worry about being reprimanded.

Antonio determinately nodded his head, figurative tail wagging like crazy.

I followed him into the fantasy section, where he pulled out my next book to read. I accepted the book from him, inspecting it over. Not bad, not bad at all. I did love myself a good medieval magic fable every now and then.

"You read through books really fast, huh?" Antonio asked.

"I suppose so," I replied.

Then something dawned on me. Antonio spent time in the library both during lunch and after school. He must have seen the mysterious note writer enter the library at some point or another. Surely, he could help me figure out who this person was?

"Say bastard?" I asked, ignoring Antonio tsking at my foul language. He could take it or leave it.

"Hmmm?" Antonio responded, crossing his arms like a stern mother hen. He was only a year older than me for Christ's sake. Did he always have to be so patronizing?

"You volunteer at the library after school, right?"

"S-si," Antonio spluttered, giving me a questioning look. "Why?"

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure! Anything!" Antonio eagerly nodded his head. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Uh…yeah," I agreed. I would never understand how anyone could get excited so easily. I could say I wanted to murder someone, and Antonio would agree without even listening to me. Everything I do, Antonio will inevitably accept, just because his "Lovi" is interested in it. He praised me like a God, and it unnerved me.

"Anyway," I continued. "I'm going to let you in on a secret, so keep it down."

"All right," Antonio crouched over, playfully placing an index over his lips. "What is it?"

 _Stop looking so cute, damn it._

"You know how I leave my books on the desk beside the printer when I'm done with them?"

"Si, it's because you're just too lazy to put them back," Antonio fondly snickered.

"Of course not!" I hissed, whacking him on the back of the head. "Dio, you're such an idiot. I have a lot more respect for books than that, che."

"Ay!" Antonio whined.

I inhaled deeply, calming myself down before I considered murdering Antonio. The thought crossed my mind very often when I was with him.

"Look, there's someone in this library leaving notes for me at the end of every book I read. They give me book recommendations, like this one," I held up the book in my hand. "That's why I've been taking out so many books lately. And that's why I leave the books I finish at _that_ specific desk. The deal is that I read the book, place it on the desk when I'm finished with it, and once I'm gone, they leave a note containing a new title for me to read."

"Oh," Antonio hummed, swallowing heavily. "That's…interesting. How long has this been going on for? D-do you know who they are?"

"A little over a week, and I have no idea," I sighed. "They're too much of a coward to leave a name. But you can help me, since you're practically here all the time. I'd like you to watch _that specific_ desk after school today and report back to me if you see _anyone_ or _anything_ suspicious. I have a feeling that they leave the notes once school is over."

"…Maybe they're just shy?" Antonio proposed, fidgeting with his hands.

"Who cares about that!" I snapped. "I just want to know who they are. They've given me some fantastic reads, and I want to properly thank them for it. So, will you help me or not?"

Antonio's lips eventually curled into a grin, although it seemed a bit more forced than usual. "Okay, Lovi!" he agreed. "I'll keep an eye out for them! You can count on me!"

"Good," I nodded my head. "I appreciate it."

"I appreciate you," Antonio mumbled to himself, which obviously went unheard by me because the Universe just likes to tease and torture me so.

Turns out I could be just as dense and oblivious as Antonio.

Who would have thought?

…

My first mistake was trusting Antonio to use what little brain cells he had. I conveniently forgot that the Spaniard had the attention span of a walnut.

…

"Hola, Lovi!~!"

"Yeah, yeah, bastard. So, did you catch the person?!"

"…I might have…um….fallen asleep by accident, eheh. Sorry."

"-?!"

…

"Hola, Lovi~!"

"Did. You. Catch. The. Person?"

"No…but I did snapchat a muy adorable video of a squirrel hanging on the window."

"-?!"

…

"Hola, Lovi~!"

"You didn't catch the person, did you?"

"…No…There was a two for one special for Quesadillas at Mucho Burrito. I couldn't miss it!"

"Agh! You're useless!"

"Ay! That's not nice! Would you…like a Quesadilla?"

"-?!"

…

Since it was clear that Antonio wasn't going to catch this person for me – by virtue of incompetence – I decided to take things into my own hands. I pretended to leave after school, and when I was sure that no one was looking, I hid myself in the lounge at the front of the library. I was stowed away behind a bookshelf, peaking through the cracks to have a bird's eye view of the desk beside the printer.

I was going to catch this person, damn it.

I wanted to know who they were.

I wanted to thank them…

Perhaps I even wanted to become their friend.

I didn't take my eyes off _that specific_ desk. Even when…Antonio walked towards it. What was that bastard doing?! He was going to scare away the mysterious note writer!

Oh…

Oh…Shit…

 _Antonio_ was placing a note at the back of the book _I_ had left there.

I inhaled sharply, my thoughts leaping to connect the dots of all the clues I had been too oblivious to piece together. Not once when Antonio helped me find a book did he ever use the computer to locate where they were. He must have already read them previously.

The tomato doodles left on the notes was exactly what an idiot like him would do. That bastard sure did love his tomatoes.

He had even defended the mysterious note writer when I had called them a coward. Why? Because he was the one writing the notes himself!

It all made sense now! No wonder Antonio never caught the person writing the notes. It's not like he wanted to out himself. This would explain all those horrible excuses he had used on me. I mean, really? Turtles don't need to be walked. And since when do people iron their shin pads?

The only question now was why? Why did he want to keep himself anonymous?

Too bad I let my temper get the best of me. I didn't think anything through as I stood up and stomped over to Antonio, pointing my finger at him as if we were in an overly melodramatic fanfiction piece.

"Oi! Bastard! It was you all along, wasn't it?!"

Antonio dropped the book on the desk as if it were scalding hot. For good measure, he took several steps back. He looked like a deer in the headlights with widened eyes and trembling lips. He clearly hadn't been expecting me to stake him out like this. "N-no! I just…I wanted to see if I recognized their writing, that's all!"

"Oh yeah?" I leered, snatching the book from the table. "Let's compare them then, shall we?"

I ripped out the note from the back of the book, glared at Antonio, and then strode off towards the front desk. I picked up a sheet of Antonio's math homework, which surprise-surprise, had a similar doodle of a tomato on it.

"Care to explain this?" I snapped, holding up the evidence for him to see. He was backed in a corner, and wouldn't be getting out of this any time soon.

Antonio bowed his head.

"Busted," I smirked. "So, Antonio. Enlighten me with your idiocy. What could have possibly motivated you to do something like this?"

Antonio looked up at me, guilt written on his facial expression. "Well, I've seen you reading here for a while now, but I was always too shy to talk to you. My friend Gilbert also told me that you were rude and mean, so that put me off a bit. My other friend Francis then came up with the idea to communicate with you via notes. It was pretty simple, really. You would ask for my help, and we could become friends that way. I planned on stopping the notes once we became good enough friends, and I knew that you would talk to me without needing a reason. Now I see how immature and childish I was in going about it…I guess I just wanted an excuse to talk to you…"

 _Books challenge your wits by having you guessing at what happens next, only to have something completely unexpected happen and shock you into a reverie of other possibilities…_

Antonio's confession caught me off guard. I hadn't been expecting such a sweet and genuine response from him. I would have never guessed that someone actually wanted to befriend me. I wasn't just flattered; I was embarrassed that it had taken me this long to realize Antonio's true intentions. Life had always been predictable for me. And then there was Antonio, an oblivious, silly anomaly that had an annoying tendency to get on my nerves and keep me on my toes.

Perhaps it was this unpredictability that made me like him so much.

I cleared my throat, failing miserably to get my heart to settle back into my chest. "Okay, first of all. Gilbert's an idiot, you shouldn't ever listen to him. The same goes with Francis; all he knows is how to be a pervert."

Antonio frowned.

"But," I held up a finger. "This is quite possibly the dumbest, sweetest thing someone's ever done for me, so thank you. All your book recommendations were wonderful, truly. Although, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. You could have just sat with me? I don't bite, you know. I may be rude and sarcastic at first, but I don't actually mean any of it."

Hope sparked in Antonio's eyes, his lips slowly lilting into its residual sunny smile. "I told you, didn't I? I was shy and didn't know how to approach you. You were basically unreachable; I've never seen anyone be so into the books they read."

"Well then," I huffed, extending a hand for Antonio to shake. "Hello, sir dumbass. My name is Lovino. Would you care to sit with me, read some books, and discuss their meaning afterwards?"

I swear to God, Antonio's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Shake my hand, bastard," I growled under my breath. "This is getting awkward."

"Oh!" Antonio snapped out of his daze, one where he had been grinning like an idiot at mere air. "Hola, Lovi. The name's Antonio, and I would love to do that with you. Perhaps afterwards, I could walk you home?"

"It's a deal," I smiled, the widest one I've worn in a long time. "And Antonio?"

"Si?"

"Thank you."

The room's temperature increased by several degrees. "De nada," Antonio replied. His smile was almost becoming blinding at this point.

Antonio and I then set off towards the back of the library, finding a table to sit at.

As we read twin copies of the same book, I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. I had finally found someone who shared my love of reading. Sure, we were different, really, _really_ , different, in fact, but in the end, we balanced each other out.

Antonio's brows were furrowed in concentration, the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth. He hummed under his breath as he read, which caused me to smile to myself.

Just then, Antonio looked up to meet my gaze, cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy. When he suggestively wriggled his brows at me, my throat constricted and my heart raced in my chest.

Crap.

I would have never predicted developing a crush on such an idiot.

Who's the idiot now?


End file.
